Cookstown: 'My daughter was screaming for help'

As the details around the Greenvale Hotel tragedy emerge, the mother of one teenager, who has asked to remain anonymous to protect the identity of her daughter, recalls her harrowing account of the horrific events that unfolded and the sense of helplessness felt by onlookers.

She and her friends were standing back because of the size of the crowd at the entrance and were thinking of going somewhere else because it was taking so long to get in.

The next sequence of events happened very quickly - her friend alerted her to a young lad being pulled out of the crowd at the front by his friends.

He was face down and his friends were trying to rouse him, and getting increasingly upset when they couldn't.

Realising the seriousness of the situation, my daughter and her friend ran for help and were "screaming" for assistance, they felt in vain. All of this is something that police will need to investigate.

They ran back and, at this point, attempts were being made to resuscitate the boy.